The demand of globalisation to provide more effective communication between Australia and Papua New Guinea (PNG) risks bringing extinction to the languages of the indigenous communities there.

The Australian aid program has three identified objectives; promoting effective governance, enabling economic growth and enhancing human development.

In this short thesis, I will argue that there needs to be a fourth objective; to protect and promote the varying PNG languages and cultures by empowering and giving ownership of the communication process to the indigenous people.

Papua New Guinea is amongst the most culturally diverse countries in the world with 852 languages registered for the country, of which 12 have no known living speakers. Most of these languages have less than 1000 speakers.

Papua New Guinea has more languages than any other country and its 820 indigenous languages, represents 12% of the world's total. Many of them are oral and passed down through the generations. Indeed, throughout history, remote tribes were often killed and enslaved by outsiders (often white Europeans) and indigenous tribes learned to fear them.

This message was passed down generations through oral communication.

Papua New Guinea has a population of over 7 million people who live in customary communities as diverse as their languages. It is also predominantly rural with 82% of the population living outside urban areas. Culturally and geographically, it is amongst the world’s least explored countries.

Many species of plants and animals are thought to exist there remain undiscovered, as well as communities of people never previously contacted.

The most commonly spoken indigenous language in Papua New Guinea is Enga, (with about 200,000 speakers) followed by Melpa and Huli. There are four official languages for Papua New Guinea, including English, Enga, Tok Pisin and Hiri Motu. Though it isn’t spoken by the majority of people, English is the language of government and the education system in Papua New Guinea.

It is estimated that there are more than a thousand cultural groups and because of this diversity many styles of cultural expression have emerged.

Most groups have their own language. People typically live in villages that rely on simple farming, hunting and the collection of wild plants. People skilled at farming, gathering and hunting are greatly respected in their communities and looked on as important people.

Language in Papua New Guinea is a major factor in the development of a village or tribe and, as globalisation has gained momentum, it impacts education, employment, housing, social wellbeing, homelessness, sustainability and community cohesion.

Communication in Papua New Guinea is so fragmented and yet the relationship between communication and society is so important.

Development and progress within a community is seriously enhanced or stunted according to the communication levels of the community. Relationships and social interactions, important factors for a coherent society, rely on communication.

Compelling indigenous people to progress (as the western world would view progress) does not make the indigenous people more content or necessarily healthier. The effects of globalisation can be disastrous for indigenous people and in particularly, for their languages.

An important factor for tribal peoples’ well-being is whether their culture is respected. In the Oxford dictionary, the definition of language is “a body of words and the systems for their use common to a people who are of the same community or nation, the same geographical area, or the same cultural tradition.”

The definition of language is clear; language and culture are inextricably bound together. To change one, is to change the other. The extinction of a language, could lead to the extinction of a community.

So how does Australia communicate with Papua New Guinea, whilst respecting its language, culture and identity?”

To further the understanding of the PNG-Australia border region, we must first have a clear, concise and detailed understanding of the language and communication structures that currently exist in Papua New Guinea. This will also ensure the best value for public finances and the most effective cross-border cultural exchange.

Papuan languages cannot be grouped into a single, unified language family. Instead, the languages are organised into about sixty diverse language families with around ten languages in each family. With globalisation, some of these language families will certainly be pooled into larger groupings, as the Celtic and Germanic language families among others have been combined to form the Indo-European language family.

It is important that these languages (and cultures) are documented and a plan to preserve is put in place. Papua New Guinea is Australia's biggest and most populous Asia-Pacific neighbour and shares a border with Indonesia. It was granted independence from its former status as a colony of Australia in 1975.

Australia is giving Papua New Guinea $558.3 million in 2016/17 and has three identified objectives; promoting effective governance, enabling economic growth and enhancing human development.

These objectives were set by the Australian government in conjunction with the Papua New Guinea government. The PNG government however, is not representative of the countries languages, cultures or values and indeed, these factors are not mentioned in the Australia's aid to Papua New Guinea program.

Again, the fragmented country, the language differences, serves as a barrier to the aid program and to globalisation.

I therefore propose a fourth objective to the aid program; to protect and promote the varying PNG languages and cultures by empowering and giving ownership of the communication process to the indigenous people.

It is vital that Australia recognises the importance of language and culture if it is to develop a stronger working relationship with PNG and the aid program can put this recognition into practice.

If no recognition or action is taken, the language and culture of PNG will almost certainly change. In a study, linguists Sarah Grey Thomason and Terrence Kaufman state that in circumstances of pressure for populations to speak a dominant language, three linguistic results may occur:

Firstly, and most frequently, the indigenous population shifts brusquely to the dominant language, leaving their indigenous language to an abrupt end-extinction.

Secondly, and the more gradual process of extinction, occurs over numerous generations.

The third, and rarest outcome, is for the pressured group to maintain as much of its native language as possible, while using elements of the dominant language's grammar and vocabulary.

Papua New Guinea is unique as its terrain and geographical bearing encourages isolation and small remote villages. However, there are clear global forces at work already with English, a language most indigenous people cannot speak, being the language of government and education.

Institutions such as the education system in Papua New Guinea teach them in the official language of the country rather than their native language.

Queensland has already recognised the strong relationship between language and culture “Language is the expression of our culture and our land. We cannot have one without the others. We cannot describe our culture and our land if we do not have language.” (Queensland Indigenous Languages Advisory Committee, 2006 ) and Dr Graham McKay from Edith Cowan University wrote in The Land Still Speaks “Recognition of Indigenous languages and support for Indigenous language programs stand alongside land rights, health, justice, education, housing, employment and other services as part of the overall process of pursuing social justice and reconciliation in Australia.

One might go so far as to say that without recognition of the Indigenous people and their languages, many other programs will be less effective, because this lack of recognition will show that the underlying attitudes of the dominant society have not changed significantly.”

As economic and cultural globalisation continues to take hold, more and more languages will become threatened and perhaps extinct. Economic integration works best when dominant languages are used such as English, Chinese and Spanish. But that is western economics and they do not match the economics, or indeed the culture, of Papua New Guinea.

The forces of globalisation are economic and include trade and the flow of goods, money, natural resources, knowledge and - possibly - people. Resistance to the forces of globalisation depends on indigenous peoples acting in concert, globally.

Access to technology - the Internet for example - and common language is essential if indigenous people are to influence their exploitation and the terms of global trade.

For a tribe or group of people living in Papua New Guinea, shutting themselves away from the world, even if desired, is impossible but they can dictate terms of their relationship with the rest of the world. Language, technology and globalisation can be extremely damaging to indigenous populations but it also promises opportunities.

What is important, is that indigenous people take ownership of the communication process and use any ‘progress’ to benefit themselves, their communities and their culture.

The indigenous people need shared forms of communication, whilst maintain their own language, culture and identity.

For indigenous people, language and communication is the key to maintaining their culture, identity and values as well as ensuring they have ownership of their own destiny and the agreements to come.

Through language and communication, indigenous people are empowered to negotiate the terms of their relationship with the outside world and to ensure globalisation works in their interest. The power of communication cannot be understated for indigenous people.

Globalisation demands conformity and if it is allowed a free hand will become the new face of imperialism.

That is why empowering indigenous people with strong communication skills is so important to not purely resist globalisation, as it cannot be resisted forever, but to ensure globalisation serves the needs of the indigenous people.

Luke Cressell

Archives

Categories

Support NEWTEK - Like what we do here at NEWTEK? If so, you should consider supporting us…Running a news based website is fun, time consuming and can be costly. If you would like to help the site keep afloat please use the donate button​